{"id":3278,"date":"2021-01-21T13:13:02","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T13:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=3278"},"modified":"2021-04-12T13:16:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T13:16:14","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-youth-poet-laureate-amanda-gorman","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-youth-poet-laureate-amanda-gorman\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need To Know About Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignfull-width wp-image-3279 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2021\/04\/Amanda.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"566\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, 20 January, was a momentous day for the United States of America. President Trump departed the White House and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President, respectively. The inauguration was full of performances and moving moments, however Amanda Gorman, the nation\u2019s first-ever youth poet laureate delivered a powerful poem that had spectators in awe.<\/p>\n<p>A poet laureate, whose official title is Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, is a poet that is given the official duty by the government to compose and deliver poetry for special events. The position was first filled in 1937. Amanda Gorman, however, is the nation\u2019s first-ever youth poet laureate. The Harvard graduate is the youngest poet to ever perform at a presidential inauguration and is the author of two books:\u00a0<em>Change Sings: A Children&#8217;s Anthem<\/em>\u00a0and a poetry collection called\u00a0<em>The Hill We Climb<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Wasn&#39;t <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheAmandaGorman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">@TheAmandaGorman<\/a>\u2019s poem just stunning? She&#39;s promised to run for president in 2036 and I for one can&#39;t wait. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rahEClc6k2\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/rahEClc6k2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HillaryClinton\/status\/1351972735598145536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">January 20, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>22-year-old, Los Angeles-born Amanda follows in the footsteps of Maya Angelou, who recited a poem at ex-President Bill Clinton\u2019s inauguration, and honoured her with an intricate ring showcasing a caged bird \u2013 a nod to Dr. Angelou\u2019s memoir\u00a0<em>I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings<\/em>. Oh, and it was a gift from Oprah. No biggie.<\/p>\n<p>The poem, entitled\u00a0<em>The Hill We Climb<\/em>, addressed the political unrest that has taken place in the nation \u2013 including the horrific riot at the very Capitol in which they stood for the inauguration \u2013 as well as the despair felt by African Americans and the optimism for the future. &#8220;Somehow we&#8217;ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn&#8217;t broken, but simply unfinished,\u201d she read.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on her own journey, Amanda wrote \u201cWe, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming President, only to find herself reciting for one.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">With her strong and poignant words, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheAmandaGorman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">@TheAmandaGorman<\/a> reminds us of the power we each hold in upholding our democracy. Keep shining, Amanda! I can&#39;t wait to see what you do next. \ud83d\udc95 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BlackGirlMagic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">#BlackGirlMagic<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: Rob Carr <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C2cf0U5iEj\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/C2cf0U5iEj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MichelleObama\/status\/1351970102699294729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\">January 20, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Read the full poem below.<\/p>\n<p>When day comes we ask ourselves,<br \/>\nwhere can we find light in this never-ending shade?<br \/>\nThe loss we carry,<br \/>\na sea we must wade<br \/>\nWe&#8217;ve braved the belly of the beast<br \/>\nWe&#8217;ve learned that quiet isn&#8217;t always peace<br \/>\nAnd the norms and notions<br \/>\nof what just is<br \/>\nIsn&#8217;t always just-ice<br \/>\nAnd yet the dawn is ours<br \/>\nbefore we knew it<br \/>\nSomehow we do it<br \/>\nSomehow we&#8217;ve weathered and witnessed<br \/>\na nation that isn&#8217;t broken<br \/>\nbut simply unfinished<br \/>\nWe the successors of a country and a time<br \/>\nWhere a skinny Black girl<br \/>\ndescended from slaves and raised by a single mother<br \/>\ncan dream of becoming president<br \/>\nonly to find herself reciting for one<br \/>\nAnd yes we are far from polished<br \/>\nfar from pristine<br \/>\nbut that doesn&#8217;t mean we are<br \/>\nstriving to form a union that is perfect<br \/>\nWe are striving to forge a union with purpose<br \/>\nTo compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and<br \/>\nconditions of man<br \/>\nAnd so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us<br \/>\nbut what stands before us<br \/>\nWe close the divide because we know, to put our future first,<br \/>\nwe must first put our differences aside<br \/>\nWe lay down our arms<br \/>\nso we can reach out our arms<br \/>\nto one another<br \/>\nWe seek harm to none and harmony for all<br \/>\nLet the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:<br \/>\nThat even as we grieved, we grew<br \/>\nThat even as we hurt, we hoped<br \/>\nThat even as we tired, we tried<br \/>\nThat we&#8217;ll forever be tied together, victorious<br \/>\nNot because we will never again know defeat<br \/>\nbut because we will never again sow division<br \/>\nScripture tells us to envision<br \/>\nthat everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree<br \/>\nAnd no one shall make them afraid<br \/>\nIf we&#8217;re to live up to our own time<br \/>\nThen victory won&#8217;t lie in the blade<br \/>\nBut in all the bridges we&#8217;ve made<br \/>\nThat is the promise to glade<br \/>\nThe hill we climb<br \/>\nIf only we dare<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,<br \/>\nit&#8217;s the past we step into<br \/>\nand how we repair it<br \/>\nWe&#8217;ve seen a force that would shatter our nation<br \/>\nrather than share it<br \/>\nWould destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy<br \/>\nAnd this effort very nearly succeeded<br \/>\nBut while democracy can be periodically delayed<br \/>\nit can never be permanently defeated<br \/>\nIn this truth<br \/>\nin this faith we trust<br \/>\nFor while we have our eyes on the future<br \/>\nhistory has its eyes on us<br \/>\nThis is the era of just redemption<br \/>\nWe feared at its inception<br \/>\nWe did not feel prepared to be the heirs<br \/>\nof such a terrifying hour<br \/>\nbut within it we found the power<br \/>\nto author a new chapter<br \/>\nTo offer hope and laughter to ourselves<br \/>\nSo while once we asked,<br \/>\nhow could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?<br \/>\nNow we assert<br \/>\nHow could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?<br \/>\nWe will not march back to what was<br \/>\nbut move to what shall be<br \/>\nA country that is bruised but whole,<br \/>\nbenevolent but bold,<br \/>\nfierce and free<br \/>\nWe will not be turned around<br \/>\nor interrupted by intimidation<br \/>\nbecause we know our inaction and inertia<br \/>\nwill be the inheritance of the next generation<br \/>\nOur blunders become their burdens<br \/>\nBut one thing is certain:<br \/>\nIf we merge mercy with might,<br \/>\nand might with right,<br \/>\nthen love becomes our legacy<br \/>\nand change our children&#8217;s birthright<br \/>\nSo let us leave behind a country<br \/>\nbetter than the one we were left with<br \/>\nEvery breath from my bronze-pounded chest,<br \/>\nwe will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one<br \/>\nWe will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,<br \/>\nwe will rise from the windswept northeast<br \/>\nwhere our forefathers first realised revolution<br \/>\nWe will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,<br \/>\nwe will rise from the sunbaked south<br \/>\nWe will rebuild, reconcile and recover<br \/>\nand every known nook of our nation and<br \/>\nevery corner called our country,<br \/>\nour people diverse and beautiful will emerge,<br \/>\nbattered and beautiful<br \/>\nWhen day comes we step out of the shade,<br \/>\naflame and unafraid<br \/>\nThe new dawn blooms as we free it<br \/>\nFor there is always light,<br \/>\nif only we&#8217;re brave enough to see it<br \/>\nIf only we&#8217;re brave enough to be it<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos: Twitter and Instagram<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28925,"featured_media":3279,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[260,35],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v20.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Everything You Need To Know About Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman - Grazia Middle East<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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